Emissions deal ‘very much alive’, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Fieldays.

The He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) partnership between the Government and the agricultural sector is very much alive, according to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and the sector.

The partnership is meant to forge a solution to New Zealand’s agricultural emissions problem, working out a pricing mechanism for those emissions to be rolled out on farms in 2025.

National had previously been committed to the partnership but this week said it would create its own emissions pricing regime, which would begin charging in 2030. Leader Christopher Luxon said HWEN was “dead” and that Labour “blew it up”.

Hipkins said after meeting sector leaders today the partnership was “still very much alive”.

“I was really encouraged by the fact that the He Waka Eke Noa Partnership have subsequently issued statements, restating their commitment to the partnership approach, restating their commitment to on-farm measurement, restating their commitment to working with us around the issues on sequestration and continuing to work with us on issues around emissions pricing,” Hipkins said.

“I think that shows that the partnership approach is still very much alive and well.”

The partnership subsequently released a summary of meeting, rather than a statement, which noted there was still agreement around five key points.

The partners agreed on the need to have continued engagement “to implement a farm level split gas system to reduce emissions”, to deliver a “standardised measurement and reporting system” by 2025, and to “commit to ongoing investment in research and development, education, extension and technology uptake”.

They also committed to “work together to resolve the remaining issues of an emissions pricing mechanism including equity, timing and price levels” and to “ensure further work is progressed so that all scientifically validated forms of sequestration can be recognised”.

National and Act have put pressure on the Government to adjust the time at which the pricing system will be rolled out.

National and Labour are actually in agreement on key parts of the plan, including a “split-gas” approach that treats short- and long-lived gas emissions differently, and the importance of having on-farm measurement.

Where there is significant disagreement is when the new system should be rolled out. National’s decision to kick the date for paying for emissions out to 2030 was welcomed by the sector, including individual members of the partnership, with the likes of Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb NZ welcoming the deal.

Dairy NZ also said it was a step in the right direction.